If you follow the blog over on Twitter and Facebook – you’ll probably have guessed that I am just a little bit excited about kicking off our jam packed season of Brides Up North Luxury Wedding Exhibitions with one of my very favourite events, North East SUPER show, theBrides Up North Bridal Bonanza Grand Wedding Exhibition at the gorgeous 4* Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield, County Durham THIS SUNDAY (that’s come around quick!) on Sunday 23rd February 2014.

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If the level of pre-registrations that Team Brides Up North has received from you lovely ladies is anything to go by, it’s going to be an amazing day! We love hearing your little stories and getting excited with you and we can’t wait to meet so many of you in person.

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Other wedding fairs? Pah! What’s the point?! We are very proud to run OFFICIALLY the largest and most exciting FREE ENTRY bridal exhibitions in the North East (our last epic event at Hardwick’s sister hotel, Ramside Hall, attracted over 2,000 visitors in one afternoon – now that’s big!) with two specially choreographed professional fashion shows and almost (and sometimes over) 80 – 100 exhibitors at each, tempting on the day discounts and stuffed goody bags tailor made for each event. I might like things big and exciting, but I also like them personal.

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And yes, you read that right, the events are FREE ENTRY. Cos I love ya, baby.

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So, get the first of our huge North East events firmly in the diary (in indelible pen please) and come along to support the most fabulous wedding suppliers in your area – I only work with the best, dahlings – for an inspiration packed afternoon of all that is pretty, new and super gorgeous in the wedding industry. And the most important bit? Local to YOU.

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And can I vouch for the beautiful 4* wedding venue that is Hardwick Hall Hotel? Well, I chose it to host my own wedding day back in October 2012 – and what’s a better recommendation than that?!.

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If you would like to beat the queues, gain speedy entry and grab yourself a FREE Brides Up North Goody Bag packed with little treats from Brides Up North, the regions’ best bridal glossy magazines well as some fab on-the-day-only exhibitor discounts – while stocks last only – you can pre-register for VIP Bride to Be access now. What are you waiting for?

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To register for a free Brides Up North VIP Bride-To-Be Goody Bag fill in your details below, marking the Brides Up North event venue of choice e.g. “HARDWICK HALL” in the subject line and quoting “VIP”. You can collect your VIP Bride-To-Be Goody Bag upon entry to the Luxury Wedding Exhibitions. Only the bride need register for larger groups.

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You can also email julia@bridesupnorth.co.uk if you do not wish to use the contact form. VIP Bride- To-Be Goody Bags are limited and subject to availability. We operate a first come, first served polic

Carly and Daniel chose a classic colour scheme for their elegant celebration and let their stunning venue, chic sense of style and tasteful details lead the way. Stunning.

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Carly says: Daniel proposed at Edinburgh Castle on 31st October 2009 and we were married on 22nd September 2012 at Wynyard Hall Chapel and Wynyard Hall.

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Danny proposed in Edinburgh and it is one of our favourite places to visit so we chose the city as our theme. Our table plan was set around Edinburgh- the top table was the Castle and all the other tables were our favourite landmarks in Edinburgh. We chose a romantic colour scheme of sage green and gun metal grey.

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For my wedding dress, I chose a Ronald Joyce design called Dakota from Christabel & Keats in Hartlepool and I carried a bouquet containing roses, orchids and eucalyptus by Valerie Rose. I really let my florist go to town and just asked for seasonal flowers to tie in with our colour scheme.

I enjoyed the whole day from beginning to end: I loved entering the church to see everyone, and saying my vows to Daniel. I also had a fantastic time dancing the night away in the evening. I didn’t want it to be over!

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We chose Wynyard Hall as is a stunning place, location and excellent service. On the day, they had some help in dressing the event from Ivory White Events who were responsible for the chair covers and table coverings and Papercraft who provided our wedding stationery.

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I didn’t pay for a professional videographer, however we bought a camcorder and we asked someone to record the day. It was brilliant looking back and seeing bits that you may have missed.

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Instead of a message book we had a chalk board where people could write their messages for us. Gemma from GS Studio will then put these into an album for us. It’s a fun and surprising alternative to a guest book and we have some great messages to read through (some funny, some wise…)

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Daniel’s father sang some old songs with his guitar during our wedding breakfast, and my sister (chief bridesmaid, Stephanie) sang some modern love songs after our first dance to kick the evening party off. We also had a casino as part of our entertainment.

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After the wedding we honeymooned for four nights in Las Vegas, then we flew to Cancun, Mexico for eight nights – complete bliss!

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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be just to relax and enjoy every minute of it!

I went to school with today’s real bride, albeit that Lucy is a couple of years younger than me (ahem!), so it was a pleasure when she contacted me telling me how much she enjoyed the website when planning her wedding and would I consider featuring her wedding photographs? Er… would I ever!

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Lucy and Michael’s wedding at the gorgeous Wynyard Hall – with images by Holden Jones Photography – is a study in how to pull off a quirky theme with elegance. It’s also oozing with good old North East charm, and was a joy to put together for you this morning.

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Enjoy.

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Lucy says: Mike proposed on July 7th 2010 in Altea, Spain. We went out for a lovely meal, there was a fantastic atmosphere in the town as Spain had just won their place in the World Cup final. When we got back to the villa, Mike walked me to the balcony, which had been decorated with lanterns and flickering candles. There was chilled champagne and chocolates waiting for me – the whole thing was completely unexpected!

My parents live at Wynyard, making Wynyard Hall the perfect location. No other venue was even considered! Mike knew that Wynyard Hall was the only place for us so when he proposed in Spain he not only presented me with a fabulous ring (from Green & Benz in Manchester), he also gave me an invitation to our wedding! He had asked for my Dad’s blessing and together they secured a date at Wynyard. Victoria Kelley, one of the wedding coordinators at the hall, was fantastic and I would have been lost without her!

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We chose Antarctica as our theme! Our table plan showed the route we took on our recent Polar Circle Quest. We named our 18 tables after the wildlife we saw and the various landing sites we visited in Antarctica. We used our own photographs on each of the tables. It really was the trip of a lifetime!

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Our colour scheme was sapphire. A month after we got engaged, I went to Dublin with my sister and spotted a pair of sapphire Manolo Blahnik heels… that was the colour scheme decided!

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I wore a Blue by Enzoani gown called Calistoga and I bought it from Dreamcatcher Bridal in Kirkham where Mike’s sister bought her wedding dress back in 2006. It’s an A-line gown with a ‘fan’ neckline and large details below the bust, on the hip and on the lower back. The ladies at Dreamcatcher were fantastic and knew exactly what would work. When they picked my dress out, I didn’t think it looked particularly special on the hanger but I decided to give it a go because it was clear that they really knew what they were talking about. As soon as I put the dress on I felt fantastic and when I walked out of the changing area it was great to see that everyone liked it as much as I did.

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My four bridesmaids wore floor-length, sapphire, satin Dessy dresses and they looked gorgeous. Two of them went for strapless and the other two went for a scoop neck. It took a little while to sort out as they are all different in height, shape and hair colour… but we got there! As for the men, they wore silk grey suits by Cameron Ross. They all looked fantastic in their tailcoats. I bought their cravats from Dessy so they matched the bridesmaids’ dresses perfectly. All of the outfits were from Grace the Weddings Co in Darlington.

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My dad and I travelled to Wynyard Hall by horse and carriage. The two Black Friesians, William and Harry, are the most handsome horses I have ever seen and it was a pleasure getting to know their owners, Glenda and Robert of Greencroft Classic Carriages.

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I carried a bouquet consisting of roses and calla lilies. It was perfect for me, as I wanted something small, simple and easy to carry! Adam Prest did a spectacular job with all of the flowers from the buttonholes (which had a magnetic fastening!) to the eye-catching centrepieces. Adam is so friendly and creative and he has a real passion for what he does.

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The ceremony itself was hugely important to us and we wanted to make it really special and personal. My uncle is a retired Catholic priest and Mike and I knew from the start that we wanted him to be as involved as possible in our ceremony. Although he was unable to actually marry us, he was able to do a reading and say a few words, which made the service incredibly special.

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Without a doubt, my favourite part of the day was the London Community Gospel Choir singing O Happy Day and the vicar getting the whole congregation swaying and clapping! This was an emotional point in the day and made the ceremony so unique and personal to us. The choir sang six songs in total, all of which we chose. Their voices were unbelievable.

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Rob Jones and Brian Holden of Holden Jones Photography were our photographers. We couldn’t have picked better photographers. They were so professional and they were friendly, putting us both at ease. A pre-wedding shoot was included in our package, which meant we were able to get to know them beforehand and talk through everything in detail. Having two photographers meant that we could have photographs of both of us in the morning, which was really important to me. We are so happy with our photographs – Rob and Brian really captured the moment… without me even realising that they were in the room half the time!

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After a delicious cake-tasting session at Robineau Patisserie, we chose a 5-tier chocolate rose and sugar flower wedding cake. We chose different fillings ranging from lemon sponge to hazelnut praline. Jane Robineau was fantastic throughout the whole process. We loved our cake so much that it has its own 2-page spread in our wedding album!

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In the evening, we had a photobooth provided by Picture Blast, casino tables, a big screen showing the Champions League, the Aaron Bayley Band and fireworks through 21st Century Fireworks. We had fantastic entertainment and a great crowd. The two really came together and created an incredible atmosphere, our guests really threw themselves into the day and embraced everything that was going on. This was so important to us because we always wanted our wedding to be about having fun and spending time with all of our friends and family.

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We didn’t have a honeymoon. I went back in to work on the Monday because I’m a (dedicated!) primary school teacher and it was term-time.

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However, we did manage to visit my sister in Cologne a couple of weeks after the wedding and I may have already booked our first anniversary trip to make up for it!

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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be this: It sounds like a cliché, but the day is ultimately about you and your husband-to-be/wife-to-be celebrating your relationship, so it is bound to be a big day for the two of you. It’s also a big day for your friends and family, so there can be a lot of (sometimes conflicting) ideas and opinions thrown into the melting pot. It can be difficult to consider everyone’s view and ultimately you just have to go with whatever the two of you feel is right. Again, it is a cliché, but it was genuinely the best day of our lives… so we must have managed to get everything right in the end!

Regular Brides Up North reader Victoria sent me her stately Real Wedding at Wynard Hall in the North East of England to share with you lovely lot this afternoon. What I love about Victoria and Jonathan’s big day is how they make the most of this beautiful, grand venue whilst still managing to keep their celebration personal and unique to them. With images by Dave Yates Photography.

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Victoria says: Jon took me to Kielder Forest (a place close to Jon’s heart) and we stayed at the lovely Riverside Hall Hotel (a bit of a gem in the middle of nowhere) on the 26th January 2011. We went for a lovely walk round the lake and Jon got down on one knee right next to the lake – it was beautiful.

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We were married on 26th July 2012 at Wynyard Hall. Wynyard Hall is a beautiful place with lots of character – great for photos whatever the weather!

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Charlotte McLean from Darlington did my hair and Martez Grey from Redcar did the bridesmaids.

Stacey Taylor from Darwen, Lancs did my makeup and nails and the bridesmaids nails too. Stacey whisked me off in to another room for a bit of R&R whilst she did my makeup this was a really good idea.

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Stacey’s husband John Taylor, a photographer from Darwen, Lancs, took photos of the bridal preparations whilst Dave Yates Photography took photos of the groom and groomsmen preparations at Wynyard Hall.

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Dave and his wife were absolutely fabulous. We had some great giggles with them both. Dave took wonderful pictures without being obtrusive at all. I really don’t like having my picture taken and this was one of the areas that I was worried about when planning our wedding but Dave really put me at ease.

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I ended up with a Trudy Lee number quite the princess dress which isn’t what I was planning to wear at all. I wanted something quite small and simple but when I agreed to ‘humour’ my maid of honour and try on a big dress I fell in love with it straight away!

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I found the dress in a small bridal shop in Darlington called Grace The Weddings Company – an absolutely beautiful shop and really nice staff would definitely recommend a visit to any bride looking for a dress. A couple of other bridal shops worth a visit are Miranda Marie in Yarm and Truly Beautiful in Guisborough. These three shops made the dress shopping experience for me.

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My sister (one of my bridesmaids) and I wore my Nanna’s brooches in our hair (something old). My something borrowed was a sixpence for in my shoe which belonged to my Grandad but is now my sister’s and my something blue was my Irregular Choice shoes.

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With the journey from Redcar to Wynyard being a fairly long drive I decided I wanted to travel with my bridesmaids and family. So we started looking at the double decker buses but we thought this doesn’t really have any link to us as a couple or our heritage. Then we remembered the Moors Bus and we had to have it!

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My favourite part of the day was seeing Jon’s face when I walked down the aisle.

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I chose a colour scheme of pink, green and blue. My bridesmaids wore Forever Yours full length dresses – two in dusty pink, two in light blue and two in olive with one shoulder strap with flower detail. The groomsmen wore a grey three piece suit with tails.

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I carried a bouquet of double headed chrysanthemums (my Nanna’s favourite flower), hydrangeas, veronica and wax flower. My bridesmaids carried a single hydrangea head striped right down – very simple. The buttonholes were wax flower and double headed chrysanthemums. We used Secret Garden Florist of Hartlepool who were wonderful and very reasonable.

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During the day we booked Michael Mulroy a fabulous pianist with lots of character. He played through the ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast. When our usher was finishing off someone else’s dessert he started to play Food, Glorious Food! – the room erupted with laughter!

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After the ceremony guests were met by Paul Slattery, caricaturist who kept them entertained whilst Jon and I headed off for photos. We also had giant garden games to keep them entertained.

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Along with the help of my bridesmaids and a few family members we made all the decorations ourselves.

We had chocolate fish and chips as our favours – I wrote the article, my maid of honour moulded the milk chocolate fish and we all put them together. We put together party bags for the 4 children which they loved but it also kept them busy (and quiet!) during the speeches – would recommend this to other bride and grooms!

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We used wicker hearts as name places hanging on the backs of the chairs which my maid of honour and I put together.

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Living in Redcar we wanted to somehow incorporate the seaside – we decided to have a Lobster pot as our card box. The wonderful coast guard sourced it for us and in return we made a donation to them. Then we decorated the table around it with some seaside ornaments from The Range.

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During the day we had a very small intimate wedding with only 28 guests (4 of which were children). We decided rather than having separate tables we would have one long table which worked really well with the numbers we had. In the evening we changed the table decorations and again these were DIY decorations – willow tree branches with jewels (all hand threaded by us!) hanging from them in tall vases, filled with sand, on round mirrors surrounded by tea lights. On each table we had sweet trees – again handmade! We also made our own photo booth – which went down a treat!

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In the evening guests were wowed by Magician Paul Lytton – even the cynical were impressed!

Our cake was three tier (fruit, chocolate and lemon Madeira) each tier in one of the three wedding colours. It was made by a family member. The cake knife set was an engagement present from a close friend.

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Honeymoon wise, We are heading to New York later in the year!

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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be to take time to take it all in. The day goes so fast every now and then just take a moment to stand back and look around and take in what is happening.